When I was a child, I solved this problem with Space Camp. Yes, I was the nerd who went to space camp, then proudly wore the t-shirt to school in the fall. (In fact, my fifth grade picture was taken in an astronaut flight suit!) Yes, I got picked on at school for my "obsession" with becoming an astronaut. But the key was that I met others who were just as obsessed, and it made me feel normal. At the time, we didn't have email or Facebook. And while I have lost contact with many of the people who I met there, I still have several who I speak to regularly. In fact, when the Curiosity rover landed on Mars, we had a mini virtual reunion when my facebook and text messages started lighting up just minutes after landing.
My point is that I find it extremely important to find peers with similar interests. It allows a child to embrace being "weird" and feel less afraid of what others think of them.
Incidentally, my own child, also "obsessed" with becoming an astronaut, will take his first trip to Space Camp next year. I hope his experience is as good as mine was.
